Day Twenty-Four

"Sometimes on a particularly steep hill, I have to lower my head, extend my body and hands and push with my legs until I reach the crest of the hill. During one such effort, I thought about a question I have often heard when talking about the need to include Intergenerational Justice when discussing our personal and collective futures. 'Bob, how can people who are struggling to survive, who are struggling every day just to put food on the table, how can they possibly spend time worrying about future generations?'

"My answer is, 'They can’t.' When I am struggling to push my gear-laden cart up a hill, I can’t look up either. I have no chance to look around. The task at hand requires all of my energy; it forces me to look down at the pavement. But I-- like many others-- are not constantly engaged in the struggle to survive. Many of us are not always pushing a heavy cart uphill.

"Not every human can spend their time thinking about our responsibilities as caretakers of this remarkable place we all call home. But most of us do have some time; when we can and when we do, it will be to the benefit of all future humans for sure. But it will also be invaluable to all current humans, especially those constantly engaged in pushing their heavy loads uphill."